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INSTRUCTIONS FOR MINOR:
In Maryland, as a teen, (minor between the ages of 14 and 17), once you have been offered
employment you are required to have a Minor Work Permit before you begin work. Teens cannot apply for a Work Permit
until they have gotten a job offer. This is because the application for a Work Permit requires details from the
employer, including the proposed occupation and work description.
View a tutorial of the process (PowerPoint document,
4MB, download PowerPoint viewer for free).
There is an overview of the necessary steps to obtain a work permit:
1. PRINT A HARD COPY OF THE WORK PERMIT APPLICATION.
- Using a computer workstation, print a hard copy Work Permit Application -
(Word
document, 33KB, download
Word viewer for free) or Adobe Acrobat format (PDF document, 87KB,
download
Adobe Acrobat for free). If you do not have access to a printer, you can obtain a copy of the blank form from the Division of Labor and Industry offices or from a participating Middle or High School.
You also can ask your employer if they are willing to print a blank copy.
- Complete the "To the Minor" section.
- Have your employer complete and sign the "To the Employer" section.
- Have your parent or guardian sign and date your application after they review it.
2. USING A COMPUTER WORKSTATION CLICK TO GO TO THE ONLINE APPLICATION AND FILL IN THE REQUESTED INFORMATION FROM THE INFORMATION THAT YOU HAVE GATHERED ON THE HARD COPY OF THE APPLICATION.
FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THE APPLICATION RECEIPT.
3. TO RECEIVE APPROVAL, YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTATION
WITH YOU TO ANY ISSUING OFFICER:
- COMPLETED HARD COPY OF WORK PERMIT APPLICATION
- PROOF OF AGE
Birth Certificate
School Records
Valid Maryland Driver's License
Any official Government document that contains your date of birth
- ONLINE APPLICATION RECEIPT
THE ISSUING OFFICER WILL:
- VERIFY YOUR AGE
- VERIFY THE DATA ON YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION MATCHES THE DATA ON THE HARD COPY APPLICATION
- VERIFY YOUR LISTED TYPE OF WORK IS PERMISSIBLE
- ISSUE AN APPROVED MARYLAND WORK PERMIT
4. TAKE THE APPROVED MARYLAND WORK PERMIT TO YOUR EMPLOYER.
YOU CANNOT START WORK UNTIL THE EMPLOYER HAS YOUR
APPROVED MARYLAND WORK PERMIT.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PARENTS OR GUARDIANS:
The Maryland Employment of Minors Law applies to school age children (14 - 17 years) and seeks to protect minors
so that their employment experience is not a detriment to their education or safety. Minors are limited in the hours
they may work during periods when school is in session. There are specific jobs and occupations that children are
not allowed to work because they have been determined to be potentially dangerous for minor employment. You can help
us protect your child by ensuring that the employer complies with these requirements. If you have any concerns, or
feel your child's work experience is detrimental to them, please contact the Division of Labor and Industry at
dli@dllr.state.md.us or call (410) 767-2239.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR EMPLOYERS:
Maryland issues work permits to minors 14 and older. You can assist with the work permit issuance process by
informing a minor of the work permit requirement at the time of hire and assisting with completing the necessary
information on the Work Permit Application. For example, at the time you offer a minor employment, you could provide
the minor with a blank copy of a work permit application
(Word
document, 33KB, download
Word viewer for free or Adobe Acrobat format, PDF document, 87KB,
download
Adobe Acrobat for free) so that the minor could complete their section and you can complete the employer section.
Minors under age 14 cannot be issued permits, with the exception of children working in the entertainment
industry. Children working in the entertainment industry are required to have a special permit that is issued
directly by the Commissioner of Labor and Industry upon application.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ISSUING OFFICERS:
How to apply become an Issuing Officer
Manual for Issuing Officers of Work Permits for Minors
(Word
document, 200KB, download
Word viewer for free) and Issuing Officer Training (PowerPoint document,
89KB, download PowerPoint viewer for free)
- If you work for a school system and desire to become an Issuing Officer, click on
"
Issuing Officer Application."
- Approval e-mail will contain your initial password.
To Login
- Click on "Login."
- Enter the e-mail address from your Issuing Officer Application.
- Copy and paste the initial password from your approval e-mail.
- Personalize the password by selecting "My Settings" on the Main Menu
To Approve Work Permits
- Click on "Login."
- Enter the system using e-mail address and password.
- Enter the Receipt ID (the control number
that appears on the receipt received by the minor when
he/she completed the online application) into the Search text box at
the top/right of the screen, then click on the Search button.
- Within the Basic Search - Click on Control Number.
- Complete Verification Section
Check-off Signatures
Identify Proof of Age
Acknowledge data matches the hard copy
Click on the Approve button
- Within the Basic Search - Click on
Control Number to open the newly approved Work Permit.
- Print/Re-print the approved Work Permit.
- Add your signature to the approved Work Permit.
- Maintain a hardcopy of the application on file for
3 years as required by the
Division of Labor and Industry.
- Issue the Work Permit to the minor to
provide to his/her employer.
Age:
- A minor under the age of 14 may not be employed or permitted to work unless the child is a model, performer or
entertainer with a special permit. Special permits are issued only by the Commissioner's Office. Information can
be obtained by calling (410) 767-2239.
- Minors 14 through 17 years of age may only work with a work permit.
- Certain activities are not considered employment for the purposes of this law provided the activity does not
involve mining, manufacturing or hazardous occupations and it takes place outside the school day. Those activities
include: farm work performed on a farm; domestic work performed in or about a home; work performed in a business
owned or operated by a parent; work performed by unpaid volunteers, in a charitable or non-profit organization,
employed with the written consent of the parent; caddying on a golf course; an instructor on an instructional
sailboat; delivery of newspapers; work performed as a counselor, assistant counselor or instructor in a youth camp
certified under the Maryland Youth Camp Act; and hazardous work performed by unpaid volunteers of a volunteer fire
department who have completed or are taking a course of study relating to fire fighting or rescue and who are 16
years of age or older.
Hours:
Minors 14 and 15 years of age may not be employed or permitted to:
- work more than 4 hours on any day when school is in session
- work more than 8 hours a day on any day when school is not in session
- work more than 23 hours in any week when school is in session
- work more than 40 hours in any week when school is not in session
- work before 7:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m. Minors may work until 9:00 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
- work more than 5 consecutive hours without a non-working period of at least 30 minutes.
Hours of work for minors employed by an employer covered by the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act are more
restrictive than those allowed by Maryland law. In general, it is the more protective standards which apply.
Minors 16 and 17 years of age:
- May spend no more than 12 hours in a combination of school hours and work hours each day.
- Must be allowed at least 8 consecutive hours of non-work, non-school time in each 24 hour period.
- May not be permitted to work more than 5 consecutive hours without a non-working period of at least 30 minutes.
Occupations:
Certain occupations are declared to be hazardous by the U.S. Secretary of Labor and have been adopted by the
Commissioner of Labor and Industry. The Commissioner has forbidden employment by minors under 18 in other
occupations. Additional areas of employment are restricted to minors under the age of 16. Information on all of
these areas of restricted employment is available from Issuing Officers in Maryland's secondary schools or from the
Division of Labor and Industry. Find out more on the Employment of Minors Fact Sheet.
Work Permits:
- Work permits are required for all minors under the age of 18 to work in the State of Maryland.
- Work permits are not issued to minors under the age of 14.
- Work permits are issued by Issuing Officers in Maryland secondary schools, and by the Division of Labor and
Industry. Minors and their parents are encouraged to contact their local school to obtain a work permit.
- To obtain a Work Permit: Work permits are not issued until the minor has
been offered a job. The work permit allows the minor to perform certain duties
for a particular employer. If the minor changes jobs, a new work permit must be
obtained. The work permit application form is available here on-line or may be
obtained from the school, the minor completes some basic information. The work
permit is taken to the employer who enters their name and address and describes
the minor's duties. The employer signs the permit. The minor's parent or guardian
signs the permit. The work permit is then taken to the Issuing Officer. Issuing
Officers are required to verify the minor's date of birth and confirm that the
employment is legal for the age of the minor. If the minor's date of birth is
not on school records, then the minor must present proof of age. Acceptable
documents include a birth certificate, motor vehicle identification, passport,
baptismal certificate or other government document that verifies the date of
birth. The validated work permit, with the Issuing Officer's signature must be
in the employer's possession before the minor is permitted to work.
References:
Labor and Employment Article, Title 3, Subtitle 2, Annotated Code of Maryland
Publications available:
Employment of Minors Law (Word
document, 71KB, download Word viewer for free)
Employment of Minors Fact Sheet (Word
document, 44KB, download Word viewer for free)
For additional information, contact:
Division of Labor and Industry
1100 N. Eutaw St. - Room 606
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 767-2239
FAX: (410) 767-2986
E-Mail Address: dli@dllr.state.md.us
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